Kim Hruba is the author of the romantic comedy Elevator Girl, a writer, editor, and book coach. She organizes the annual Lake of the Woods Artist Retreat at Laketrails Base Camp on Oak Island. She is a weekly contributor (Saturdays) to the folksy, regional Wannaskan Almanac blog. Hruba graduated from the University of Minnesota, earned a certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language from Hamline University, and taught at a Berlitz Language School in the Czech Republic. She is a member of Star of the North Toastmasters Club and Keystone Speakers, an advanced club based in Winnipeg. Kim was the 2017 Toastmasters International District 64 Tall Tales champion. She is a member of ACES: The Society for Editing, and recently completed the Poynter ACES Certificate in Editing. Kim is currently completing a book coaching certification through Author Accelerator. In 2010, Hruba established Red Shoes Writing Solutions, LLC. Her writing has appeared in the Roseau-Warroad Visitor Guides, the former Warroad Pioneer newspaper, The Growler magazine, and Let’s Play Hockey. Kim is a three-time arts grant recipient and on the teaching artist residency roster for northwestern Minnesota. She has lived in Warroad for 15 years with her Czech husband and five children and is working on her next novel. Per StrengthsFinder 2.0, Kim’s top five strengths are positivity, woo, maximizer, connectedness, and communication. This suggests that Kim’s personal qualities lend themselves well to a retreat experience that will be impactful, meaningful, and energetic. She is naturally inclined to create a strong community-connected experience that is mutually beneficial (and enjoyable!) for retreat participants and local artists and businesses.